The description that follows relates to a clamping apparatus found in clamping systems and/or in machines for bending wires, rods, tubes, and the like.
Bending machines for wires, tubes, rods, and the like include one or more clamps for holding a work piece in place during a bending operation. Existing bending machines use pneumatic, mechanical, or hydraulic processes to perform said clamping and have several drawbacks. For example, hydraulic clamps can rotate a work piece only so far as the clamp allows (e.g., up to 270 degrees) due to the location of the hydraulic tube relative to the clamp. While mechanical clamps may be capable of rotating the work piece infinitely around 360 degrees, they have other drawbacks. For example, a typical mechanical clamp can only apply a limited amount of pressure to the work piece and can only clamp and unclamp the work piece at a certain preset position (e.g., a starting location). Further, mechanical clamps typically include a spring to preload an anvil to the work piece upon insertion and often include a fixed upper and/or lower anvil that may need to be removed in order to accommodate different material thicknesses or profiles. As a result, the clamping pressure of such clamps can only be mechanically applied and adjusted. Also, most existing clamps can be difficult to use with elongated pieces (e.g., seven or more feet long) or other work pieces that hard to hold and handle.